Notable Elite Runners

Meb Keflezighi

On the heels of his retirement from marathons just one day after running the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 5, Meb Keflezighi announced his return to the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon!

The greatest American distance runner in the history of the sport, Meb is most known for his Olympic medal in the marathon distance in 2004, and victories in the New York City Marathon in 2009 and the Boston Marathon in 2014. He's the only American to win an Olympic medal and both races on American soil.

2018 marks the third consecutive year in which Meb comes to Indianapolis for the Indy Mini. In 2015, Meb started at the back of the pack and passed participants, stopping for photos and offering encouragement during the 13.1-mile race. In 2016, Meb encouraged participants out at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a segment of the course fittingly named "Meb's Motivational Mile."

More details about Meb's schedule and availability at the 2018 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Expo will be released closer to May.

Alexi Pappas

For the first time, Greek-American runner Alexi Pappas will travel to Indianapolis to compete in the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in 2018. A 2016 Olympian, Pappas is the Greek national record-holder in the 10,000 meters with s 31:36 at the Rio Olympics. She's known for her avid social media following and has emerged as one of the most admired athletes of her generation. Pappas shared the cover of Runner's World Magazine's 50th edition printing with comedian Kevin Hart for a special issue about social media and the "New Boom" in running.

Credited with pursuing art and world-class athletics in elegant lockstep, Pappas is also an award-winning writer and filmmaker. While training for the 2016 Olympic Games, Alexi wrote, directed and starred in the feature film “Tracktown” alongside Rachel Dratch (“Saturday Night Live”) and Andy Buckley (“The Office”). The film was produced with support from the Sundance Institute and premiered at the 2016 Los Angeles Film Festival.

Indy Mini participants can meet Pappas at the 2018 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Expo. More details about her availability at the Expo will be announced closer to the event.

Andrew Peterson

Peterson joins the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon as a local runner and advocate for the sport of running. He is just the second Special Olympics athlete ever to qualify for the Boston Marathon and will run the iconic Boston road race in April of 2019. In partnership with the 500 Festival, Peterson will help promote the Indy Mini across the state of Indiana, as well as the sport of running and it's importance to youth across the state. Peterson is passionate about the influential power the sport of running can have on our state's health and fitness, specifically when starting at a young age.

In preparation for Boston in 2019, Peterson will take on the Indy Mini on May 5 attempting to finish with a new personal record of 1:15:00.

2018 participants will also be able to meet Peterson at the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon Expo. More details about his available will be announced closer to the event.